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Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education - Theory, Policy, and Context

Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education_ Theory, policy, and Context

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Shahzad Jamil
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39 views

Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education - Theory, Policy, and Context

Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education_ Theory, policy, and Context

Uploaded by

Shahzad Jamil
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education: Theory, policy, and Context

Studying abroad is today one of the key ways to earn quality academic and personal knowledge
and training. Studying abroad in Italy is no exception, and its necessity is directly based on the
choices or Internet of individual students connected with specific academic interests, which
mostly occurs through exchange programs or special intensive study-abroad opportunities. Italy
is famous for its culture and history, and thus students from all over the world are attracted to
it.
One of the words of relevance within the context of studying abroad is “sojourn” which the
lecturer defines as a stay abroad of a prolonged nature, perhaps working, studying, or
otherwise gaining relevant, meaningful activities of a specific purpose. A sojourner is never
characterized as a migrant; they can be temporary residents who often intend to return to their
country of origin once they have completed their objectives. The lecturer further indicated that
studies on migration and sojourners frequently overlap because both center their interests on
mobility. However, sojourners are distinct from migrants since they are generally more
educated and tend to return to their home country.
Sojourning importantly encompasses the phenomenon of Culture Shock, a situation whereby
individuals are exposed to a new cultural environment. The culture shock was an occupational
illness that needed medical treatment, but now it is a process in which a person learns and
acquires. The lecturer actually shared her experience in the UK, which was full of culture shock
since she was unfamiliar with the ritual of waving to the bus driver to stop for the bus since this
was not an expectation in Italy because buses stop automatically. This experience made her
homesick and puzzled: the cultural experience of sojourners pose an emotional challenge.
The general stages of cultural adaptation follow these stages:
1. Elation: The sojourner is excited and glad to enter into a new culture where everything
seems new and amusing
2. Distress: Once the honeymoon wears off, the sojourner feels discomfort and tension
when adjusting to a new lifestyle
3. Adjustment: The sojourner adjusts to the new culture with respect to its customs and
becomes comfortable in the new environment
4. Assimilation: The sojourner fully adopts the host culture, where they may lose hold of
their native culture
5. Integration: The sojourner interacts with the host culture while maintaining their
cultural identity, achieving a balance between both worlds.
6. Separation: The sojourner avoids interaction with the host culture and maintains their
native customs.
7. Marginalization: The sojourner suffers a loss of both home and host cultures, as they
deny them a sense of belonging.
So many personal benefits have been documented from cross-cultural experiences. For
example, one’s interpersonal skills improve as one increases in self-awareness and self-
confidence, while flexibility improves simultaneously. Sojourners tend to develop these skills
when they enter new environments and have to interact with a diverse group of people and
meet various challenges in so doing. Literature reveals that sojourning significantly contributes
to emotional and cognitive personal growth.
In an educational context, Cultural Responsiveness is a keenly noted issue. Teacher alters their
pedagogical practices through considerations based on students’ diverse cultural backgrounds.
This will not only make them more effective in lesson production but also increase their range
of activities. Through novel lessons and approaches, teachers gain Practical Experience that
enhances their skills in teaching.
There are three salient categories when looking at the experiences of sojourners:
1. Affect represents the emotional experience such as stress, cultural shock, or overall
being.
2. Behavior is defined as how sojourners adapt to new customs, adopt cultural norms, and
change their behavior.
3. Cognition is how sojourners make sense of new surroundings in shaping their values,
beliefs, and identity regarding both home and host cultures.
A comparison of studies conducted by Joy and Giorgia brings out an important feature that
differentiates sojourner experiences. While the participants in Joy's study chose to travel
abroad, students in Giorgia's study did not have much of an option. They were driven to travel
due to factors such as requirements that had to be met within the academic program they were
enrolled in, amongst other circumstances. The two groups experienced personal and
professional development while abroad, including increased confidence, cultural awareness,
and interpersonal skills.

Reference:
https://www.goabroad.com/articles/study-abroad/italy-study-abroad-pros-cons
https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?q=Reference:+Berry,+J.+W.+(1997).+Immigration,
+Acculturation,+and+Adaptation.+Applied+Psychology,+46(1),+5-
34.&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-00837-000

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